Opinion

Hot Topics:

Mike Argento: It's official: The NFL is in utter chaos

MIKE ARGENTO

Updated:
09/28/2012 01:57:10 PM EDT

NEWS ITEM: After the replacement referees blew a call that awarded a victory to the Seattle Seahawks over the Green Bay Packers on the last play Monday, the NFL released a statement saying the referees' decision was correct, despite clear evidence to the contrary. The call was so bad that the league lifted the lockout in time for last Thursday's Ravens-Browns game.

* * *

NEW YORK -- The NFL released a statement today affirming a controversial call by referees at the end of Sunday's Ravens-Steelers game that awarded the 1980 presidential election to Ralph Nader.

"We have reviewed the play and have concluded that the call on the field was correct," the league's statement began. "We understand that it has caused some confusion, but upon further review, the referees clearly adhered to the letter and spirit of the league rulebook. We would like to be among the first to welcome our new president and put this unfortunate misunderstanding behind us. Move along, there's nothing to see here."

The call came on the last play of the game as Steelers receiver Mike Wallace was beheaded in the end zone by Baltimore safety Ed Reed as Wallace appeared to have caught a Hail-Mary pass that would have sealed a 16-14 victory for Pittsburgh.

Advertisement

The back judge initially threw a flag penalizing Reed for pass interference, but after consulting with the line judge and his Magic Eight-Ball, reduced the call to illegal contact with a samurai sword more than five yards downfield. The referee then joined the conference and after a 10-minute discussion, the flag was picked up and no penalty was assessed after it was determined that Reed had used a chainsaw and not a samurai sword to behead Wallace.

The referee then reversed the call, ruling that former Baltimore Colts linebacker Mike Curtis intercepted the ball, a decision that was overturned after further review when the replay official determined that he was not sure whether Curtis, who retired in 1978, is still alive.

Finally, after conferring at midfield, the referee announced that upon further review, the crew had determined that Nader had won the 1980 presidential election. The refs then sprinted from field as the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium erupted in a collective "Huh?" One official reportedly sprained an ankle when he tripped over Wallace's headless corpse.

The call generated widespread derision and added to the outrage expressed by fans, players and coaches over the performance of the replacement officials, standing in for referees who had been locked out by the league when contract negotiations stalled over whether the league would provide snacks during the talks.

It was one of several calls that have raised eyebrows in the past two weeks. Among those was a call at the end of the Patriots-Dolphins game that awarded a victory to the Detroit Lions, a ruling that resulted in the winner of the Houston-San Diego game being Secretariat and a pass interference penalty in the 49ers-Seahawks game that was later ruled to be a foul ball.

The replacement referees have also been criticized for awarding the Philadelphia Eagles seven extra time-outs in its game against the New York Giants, but that error was determined to have not altered the outcome of the game after Eagles coach Andy Reid used all 10 of his second-half time-outs in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

The call at the end of the Ravens-Steelers game, though, was believed to be especially egregious.

"Ralph Nader?" said Steelers linebacker James Harrison. "Isn't he the kicker for the Cardinals?"

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco described the call as "weird."

"I'm still not sure what happened," Flacco said. "Last I heard, Ralph Nader was kicking for the Cardinals."
Flacco said he expected some difficulties with the refs when, during the pre-game coin flip, the referee ruled that Edgar Allan Poe had won the toss and that both teams would defend the west end zone and pointed to the press box at midfield.

"It was problematic," Flacco said. "On the one hand, I did think having eight downs was pretty awesome. On the other hand, permitting the Steelers to start a rhinoceros at tight end did seem a little out there. Fortunately, for us, the rhino couldn't catch the ball, but I am worried that Ray Lewis is never going to be the same after that horn injury."

The rhinoceros replaced Heath Miller, still recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in last week's 21-15 loss to the Patriots when New England Bill Belichick shot him in sudden-death overtime. Belichick was fined $25,000 by the league, despite not being flagged for the shooting, the referees ruling instead that Miller was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone.

At his post-game press conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he wasn't going to discuss the performance of the referees. But he did add that he had concerns when the line judge kept telling him, "Hey, I loved you on 'House.'"

Tomlin said Wallace would have an MRI on Monday to determine whether his head could be re-attached. He said the receiver would be questionable for next Sunday's game against Cleveland.

In its statement, the NFL said that the play that resulted in Wallace's beheading was legal under current rules.

"The ruling on the field was within the rules in that the rulebook does not specifically forbid defensive players from using chainsaws in pass defense," the statement read. "Further, the original penalty was also outside the rules as the use of a samurai sword is allowable during games played on even-numbered days and such calls are not reviewable under league rules and policies as they currently stand.

"The officials made the right call," the statement continued. "Who're you going to believe, us or your own eyes?"

Mike Argento's column appears Mondays and Fridays in Living and Sundays in Viewpoints. Reach him at mike@ydr.com or 717-771-2046. Read more at www.ydr.com/mike. Or follow him on Twitter at FnMikeArgento.